Adding a deck to your home is a significant expense and design element in your landscape. Choosing decking material will take a little education on various materials. You may want to build your deck with wood or go with one of the more modern composite materials that look like lumber.

Redwood

A stable beautiful traditional wood for decking has minimal shrinking and can be even more stable if you choose kiln dried lumber. Another benefit is it’s resistance to rot. Heartwood is red and can be used for all decking but is recommended for work that will contact or be near the ground. Sapwood is yellow and common redwood deck wood contains a combination of heart and sapwood. Redwood will naturally weather to a gray color so if you want to maintain the red color you will need to use an oil-based water repellent stain every couple of years.

Cedar

Western red cedar is a soft wood that weathers quickly and will definitely need to be treated with a water repellent sealant. Do not delay staining and sealing the wood. It is not as stable as redwood. It is, however, a durable wood that comes in several grades and is resistant to decay.

Pressure-Treated Pine

Chemically treated southern yellow pine is a common wood that is economical and readily available. It is generally a greenish color but fades to silver/gray.

Honduran Mahogany

This is a dark red, brown or dark orange wood. It is more dense than redwood and has a coarse texture and tight grain. Mahogany is used in boats because of it’s resistance to rot. To preserve the color, treat it every two years with a slightly tinted sealant. Be aware that Philippine Mahogany is not actually mahogany.

Stains and Other Deck Maintenance Products

If you decide that a wood deck is for you you will have to choose stain, cleaner, wood brightener, sealant, and other preparations for your wood deck. Proper preparation and treatment of the wood will maintain the value of your deck for years to come.

Wood Composite

These products are said to be stable and low maintenance and come in a wide variety of colors. Composites are a mixture of wood and plastic. There are more than 100 different products. The older composite decking material has a history of mold issues and fading. They are also reported to be hot to walk on. There are new products on the market all the time and you have to research the product for fading, scratching, mold, warping and cleaning requirements.

Solid PVC

Polyvinyl chloride or vinyl is solid plastic material. It is not a composite. It is a relatively new product. The claim is that they have UV protection which solves some if not all of the fading issues. If you are considering installing a vinyl deck, try to get some referrals from the dealer of customers who have had them installed.

Need some power tools for your project?

If you are purchasing a power saw be sure to get the right one for the job.  A power sander will come in handy also.